Nara Sightseeing & the World of Buddhist Statuary
Joined 2016
Through this tour you will be intrigued with the charm of Buddhist statuary, which represents people's wishes and prayers. Figures of statues vary according to the development of eras from Asuka period to Muromachi period. At the same time you can visit Nara Park, where you can feed deer. Also you can visit a nice sake tasting place after the tour if you like.
Itinerary
This itinerary can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Send me a message with your requests!
Meeting Point
Kintetsu Nara Station or JR Nara Station
Kohfukuji Temple and its national treasure museum
Nara Park ( You can enjoy feeding rice-bran crackers to deer.)
Isuien Garden, a strolling-style landscape garden with two different types of gardens built in different ages.
Todaiji Temple ( the Great Buddha Hall, Nigatsu-do Hall and Hokke-do Hall )
Kasuga Grand Shrine ( Strolling in the cedar forest is very cool and refreshing. )
Local sake tasting at a sake brewery in Nara Machi
Ending Point
Kintetsu Nara Station or JR Nara Station
Want to personalize this tour?
This tour can be customized to meet your needs and preferences. Click below to send me a message with your requests.
Inclusions & Exclusions
guide fee
lunch, entrance fee ( ￥2900) for Kohfukuji Temple ( the national treasure house ) Isuien Garden and Todaiji Temple ( the Great Buddha Hall and Hokke-do Hall ) and local sake tasting (￥500) at the sake brewery.
Tour Important Information
This is a walking tour and it is desirable that you wear walking shoes or sneakers. A pet bottle of water is to be carried with you.
Important message from the supplier
It is desirable to carry overseas travel insurance because the guide is not liable for any damage or loss incurred during the tour. It is also requested to bring enough Japanese yen with you because some restaurants and taxis do not accept credit cards.
Cancellation Policy
- Free cancellation - 8 days prior to meeting time
- 50% Refund - 3 to 7 days prior to meeting time
- No Refund - Within 2 day(s) prior to meeting time
Joined 2016
About Tour Guide Yoshihisa T.
Hi. My name is Yoshihisa. Call me "Yoshie", please. It means good or O.K. in Japanese. I live in Joyo City, Kyoto Prefecture, located just in between Kyoto and Nara. I was born and raised in Iga, Mie Prefecture. Iga is a birthplace of ninja and a renowned haiku poet, Matsuo Basho. I might be a descendant of ninja. I aim at becoming a linguistic ninja, following a part of Basho's lifestyle with the incorporation of seasonal changes into my tours. In addition to visiting famous temples and shrines, I invite you to lesser-known places of historic interest.
Once in a month I go hiking or mountain climbing with some friends mainly in mountains surrounding Kyoto and Nara basins. Recently I have got intrigued by the charms of Buddhist statues, which are manifestations of people's wishes and prayers. I also like izakaya (Japanese-style taverns) hopping, tasting delicious dishes and locally brewed sake at reasonable prices. Especially I like communicating with people from home and abroad, talking face to face. Some of the above-mentioned elements are included in my walking tours. I hope you will discover new aspects of cultural and natural beauty in Kansai area through one of my tours which you could never gain otherwise.
One of my favorite phrases that come from Zen Buddhism is Ichigo Ichie or this meeting-but only once in a lifetime. My interpretation goes this way: This place and this moment never cross again. Each and every good encounter, however, lingers on like the sound of a temple bell. Won't you explore a deeper world of Japanese culture in Kyoto, Nara and Osaka with me?
Reviews
Brian K.
“Golden Temple Tour”
Spent a wonderful and informative day with Yoshie, exploring many temples, gardens, and shrines. Yoshie’s wealth of information and passion for his city and his occupation were immediately apparent. We couldn’t help but be drawn into Yoshie’s narrative - which is not just about the amazing history and significance of the temples and shrines of Kyoto, but also about the journey we all share, and the importance of honouring tradition, and living with Intention. I would recommend Yoshie’s tours for anyone interested in learning about the true Kyoto, a city that is so much more than the amazing restaurants and shopping and the wonderful people.
Yoshihisa T.
Hi Brian. I really appreciate your excellent comment on my tour in Kyoto. I had a very pleasant time guiding and talking with you and your family. I hope you will return home safely with lots of good memories of Japan. With best wishes. Yoshie
Priyanka K.
“Kyoto and Nara”
We are a family of three, two adults and one 10 year-old boy. We did a tour of Kyoto in a day and also did a half day tour of Nara with Yoshie. He is very knowledgeable, kind, and calm. The tour was a good pace. He picked a wonderful lunch restaurant that served the best Ramen. In the evening, he took us to an old friends Izakaya - it was such a treat to have an amazing local meal with a true local! We are so lucky to have had him as a tour guide during our first experience in Japan! Thank you, Yoshie!
Yoshihisa T.
Hi Priyanka. Thank you so much for your heartwarming comment on my tour in Kyoto and Nara. I really enjoyed guiding and talking with you three, too. I am also glad that you liked the ramen for lunch and the dishes at the izakaya a lot. I hope you will return home safely with lots of good memories of Japan. With best wishes. Yoshie
Julie M.
“Wonderful Day on the Golden Route of Kyoto”
We enjoyed a wonderful day with Yoshi on the Golden tour. He is a former teacher and that really shows through in the way he clearly and patiently explains the sights and history associated with them. But more than that, he is kind and has a great sense of humor that leaves you feeling that you have spent the day with a new friend. He was more than willing to adjust the itinerary to our needs, and arranged for a meal at an izakaya for us that was the highlight of the day! If we return to Kyoto we will most certainly be in touch. Highly recommend his tour
Yoshihisa T.
Hi Julie. I appreciate your wonderful comment on my tour, revised My Favorite Golden Route. I also enjoyed myself guiding and talking with you two. I am pleased to learn that you enjoyed the izakaya experience a lot after the tour. I hope our paths will cross someday soon. With the best wishes. Yoshie
$240/ per group
More tours by Yoshihisa T.
My Favorite Golden Route: Kyoto One-day Tour
This tour is designed for those who would like to visit major scenic sites in Kyoto and off-the-beaten spots as well in a single day. The route is the one that has been favored and admired by many of my guests for the past few years. The itinerary mainly consists of three areas; Kitayama, Arashiyama and Fushimi areas. You will surely have unforgettable memories through the tour with me.
My Favorite Silver Route: Kyoto One-day Tour
This tour is designed for those who have finished My Favorite Golden Route: Kyoto One-day Tour and would like to make a second-day tour in Kyoto. The tour covers most of the main tourist attractions in the eastern area of Kyoto. It also has a couple of choices according to your needs and wishes. I hope you will have a very pleasant tour with me.
Izakaya Hopping & Sightseeing in Minami Area, Osaka
This tour is meant for those who would like to enjoy sightseeing in Minami ( South ) Area, Osaka and eating and drinking at three izakayas ( Japanese-style taverns ) for relatively reasonable prices in a friendly atmosphere.
Kobe Arima Rokko One-day Tour
This tour is designed for those who would like to enjoy a variety of experiences in Kobe in a single day. The tour includes a visit to Ijinkan Town ( a former foreign residence area ) in Kobe, hot spring bathing in Arima Onsen, an aerial cableway riding from Arima to Rokko and taking in a splendid view of Osaka Bay from the top of Mt. Rokko.
Other Popular Art, Culture, & Historical Tours in Nara
One day tour in Nara
Highlights of the tour are feeding deers in Nara Park and overwhelmed by the great Budha, Daibutu. Tour also visits several historcal sites. As all historical sites are located in the Nara park, we will mainly walk through the park ( 5~8km ) The tour also can customized in line with the customer's interest, historical sites, cultural sites or shopping.
Let's enjoy walking around the ancient city called Heijyokyo or Nara established in 710.
Nara is the most ancient city in Japan. You can see one of the most biggest images of Buddha in Japan called"Daibutu-san", and You also see many deer roaming freely around in Nara park. We visit Kasuga-Taisya Shrine ,founded to protect the Heijyokyo, which is also the deity of Fujiwara family is enshrined.
Mixed Scenery with Towns and Temples, Nara
Enjoy the beauty of the temples in rural scenery and old townscapes. Ikaruga is Japan's oldest temple town, dating back to the 7th century. Even today, the pagodas from that time rise and create a beautiful rural landscape surrounded by mountains. Naramachi is within the grounds of a temple built near the Imperial Palace in the 8th century. Commercial and industrial houses lined its grounds from the Middle Ages, and the temples blended into the traditional townscape.
Tour of the Great Buddha of Nara
(Highlights) The Great Buddha of Nara is a magnificent structure weighing some 500 tons. Originally built in 752 AD, the stature is 15.9 meters high excluding the pedestal and its face 4.8 meters long. Subsequently, it was damaged by natural disasasters, fires and wars and was repaired several times. It was completely rebuilt in the Edo period (1603-1867). You will be amazed at the splendid image of the Great Buddha calmly seated on the pedestal with the look of a perfect repose and passionless calm. His right hand shows mercy and left hand, the wisdom of the universe. The building housing this huge image, The Great Buddha Hall of Todaiji Temple, is the largest existing wooden structure in the world, having an area of 54 meters by 49 meters and a height of 45 meters. It was burned down by a fire twice, but was rebuilt in the Edo period. (How to enjoy) You will be amazed at how huge the Buddha image is. Immerse yourself in the solemn atmosphere it creates amid the odor of burning incense, wonder at the ancient technology and the wisdom and the devotion of people. After all, you will never end up not being deeply impressed with the aura the "Daibutsu-sama" Great Buddha emits. Everywhere around the Great Buddha Hall, in the meantime, you can enjoy mixing with tame deer which do you no harm but ask you for food, "shika-sembei", which is being sold at the nearby stalls for 150 yen a pack containing some 50 grams of the deer food. You will feel very happy feeding, stroking and hugging the cute animal whose number exceeds, perhaps, 100. (Others) The transportation fare between Kyoto and Nara on a Kintetsu train is 620 yen (plus 510 yen if you take a limited express train). The entrance fee to Todaiji temple is 600 yen.
